SparkNotes: Macbeth: Plot Overview Plot Overview Context Character List The play begins with the brief appearance of a trio of witches and then moves to a military camp, where the Scottish King Duncan hears the news that his generals, Macbeth and Banquo, have defeated two separate invading armies—one from Ireland, led by the rebel Macdonwald, and one from Norway. Following their pitched battle with these enemy forces, Macbeth and Banquo encounter the witches as they cross a moor. The witches prophesy that Macbeth will be made thane (a rank of Scottish nobility) of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland. They also prophesy that Macbeth’s companion, Banquo, will beget a line of Scottish kings, although Banquo will never be king himself. The witches vanish, and Macbeth and Banquo treat their prophecies skeptically until some of King Duncan’s men come to thank the two generals for their victories in battle and to tell Macbeth that he has indeed been named thane of Cawdor. The previous thane betrayed Scotland by fighting for the Norwegians and Duncan has condemned him to death.

Macbeth is intrigued by the possibility that the remainder of the witches’ prophecy—that he will be crowned king—might be true, but he is uncertain what to expect. He visits with King Duncan, and they plan to dine together at Inverness, Macbeth’s castle, that night. Macbeth writes ahead to his wife, Lady Macbeth, telling her all that has happened. Lady Macbeth suffers none of her husband’s uncertainty. She desires the kingship for him and wants him to murder Duncan in order to obtain it. When Macbeth arrives at Inverness, she overrides all of her husband’s objections and persuades him to kill the king that very night. He and Lady Macbeth plan to get Duncan’s two chamberlains drunk so they will black out; the next morning they will blame the murder on the chamberlains, who will be defenseless, as they will remember nothing. While Duncan is asleep, Macbeth stabs him, despite his doubts and a number of supernatural portents, including a vision of a bloody dagger. When Duncan’s death is discovered the next morning, Macbeth kills the chamberlains—ostensibly out of rage at their crime—and easily assumes the kingship.

Duncan’s sons Malcolm and Donalbain flee to England and Ireland, respectively, fearing that whoever killed Duncan desires their demise as well. Fearful of the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s heirs will seize the throne, Macbeth hires a group of murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. They ambush Banquo on his way to a royal feast, but they fail to kill Fleance, who escapes into the night. Macbeth becomes furious: as long as Fleance is alive, he fears that his power remains insecure. At the feast that night, Banquo’s ghost visits Macbeth. When he sees the ghost, Macbeth raves fearfully, startling his guests, who include most of the great Scottish nobility. Lady Macbeth tries to neutralize the damage, but Macbeth’s kingship incites increasing resistance from his nobles and subjects. Frightened, Macbeth goes to visit the witches in their cavern.

There, they show him a sequence of demons and spirits who present him with further prophecies: he must beware of Macduff, a Scottish nobleman who opposed Macbeth’s accession to the throne; he is incapable of being harmed by any man born of woman; and he will be safe until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Castle. Macbeth is relieved and feels secure, because he knows that all men are born of women and that forests cannot move. When he learns that Macduff has fled to England to join Malcolm, Macbeth orders that Macduff’s castle be seized and, most cruelly, that Lady Macduff and her children be murdered. When news of his family’s execution reaches Macduff in England, he is stricken with grief and vows revenge. Prince Malcolm, Duncan’s son, has succeeded in raising an army in England, and Macduff joins him as he rides to Scotland to challenge Macbeth’s forces. The invasion has the support of the Scottish nobles, who are appalled and frightened by Macbeth’s tyrannical and murderous behavior. Lady Macbeth, meanwhile, becomes plagued with fits of sleepwalking in which she bemoans what she believes to be bloodstains on her hands.

Before Macbeth’s opponents arrive, Macbeth receives news that she has killed herself, causing him to sink into a deep and pessimistic despair. Nevertheless, he awaits the English and fortifies Dunsinane, to which he seems to have withdrawn in order to defend himself, certain that the witches’ prophecies guarantee his invincibility. He is struck numb with fear, however, when he learns that the English army is advancing on Dunsinane shielded with boughs cut from Birnam Wood. Birnam Wood is indeed coming to Dunsinane, fulfilling half of the witches’ prophecy. In the battle, Macbeth hews violently, but the English forces gradually overwhelm his army and castle. On the battlefield, Macbeth encounters the vengeful Macduff, who declares that he was not “of woman born” but was instead “untimely ripped” from his mother’s womb (what we now call birth by cesarean section). Though he realizes that he is doomed, Macbeth continues to fight until Macduff kills and beheads him. Malcolm, now the King of Scotland, declares his benevolent intentions for the country and invites all to see him crowned at Scone.

More Help Violence in Shakespeare: Suicide, Murder, and Combat in Shakespeare's Plays Suicide, Murder, and Combat in Shakespeare's Plays Introduction Elizabethan and Jacobean audiences reveled in shocking drama. While patrons liked a good comedy, they consistently packed the theatres to see the newest foray into treachery, debauchery, and murder. Scenes of bloodshed were staged with maximum realism. An account of the props required for George Peele's The Battle of Alcazar (1594), for example, lists three vials of blood and a sheep's lungs, heart, and liver. Kyd's Spanish Tragedy calls for an arbor with a dead body swinging from it (as described in Karl J. Holzknecht's, The Backgrounds of Shakespeare's Plays). Some of Shakespeare's most violent plays were by far his most popular during his lifetime. Although modern audiences are often repulsed by its gore and brutality, Titus Andronicus was a huge success in Tudor England, coveted by several of the finest touring companies. And certainly it is no coincidence that Shakespeare's most profound psychological masterpieces have their share of sensational melodrama.

Shakespeare often deviated from his sources to include more titillating details. Hamlet's father is poisoned with a potion so potent that it immediately causes bubbling scabs on his body; King Duncan is lured to Macbeth's castle to be slaughtered in his bed, and so on. Presented here are those characters who meet their ends violently -- those who feel "death's eternal cold" through murder, treason, suicide, and bloody combat. Suicide But resolution and the briefest end. Antony and Cleopatra (4.15.91-2) Brutus (Julius Caesar) Brutus, knowing that he has lost the battle with Antony and Octavius, convinces a servant to hold his sword as he throws himself upon it. Cleopatra (Antony and Cleopatra) Cleopatra chooses the deadly venom of two asps as her method of suicide. Goneril (King Lear) Goneril, the depraved scoundrel who concocts nefarious schemes against her father, Lear, and her husband, the Duke of Albany, commits suicide when her plots are exposed.

Juliet (Romeo and Juliet) As she kisses her beloved Romeo one final time, Juliet stabs herself with Romeo's dagger and falls dead upon his body. Lady Macbeth (Macbeth) Although we are told in Act 5, Scene 5 that Lady Macbeth is dead, it is not until the closing lines of the play that we learn her death was a suicide: ... "his fiend-like queen, Who, as 'tis thought, by self and violent hands Took off her life." (5.7.100-2) Mark Antony (Antony and Cleopatra) Antony falls on his own sword but lives longs enough to meet one final time with Cleopatra. Cassius (Julius Caesar) Cassius, certain that he will soon be captured by Antony and Octavius, kills himself with his sword. Ophelia (Hamlet) Ophelia, driven insane by Hamlet's cruelty and the murder of her beloved father, plunges from a tree branch into the current below. Although her fall is an accident, Ophelia makes no attempt to save herself, and thus her drowning is viewed as a suicide.

Othello (Othello) When Othello discovers that his wife, Desdemona, whom he has murdered, is not guilty of adultery, he drives a dagger into his chest and falls dead beside Desdemona's body. Portia (Julius Caesar) Convinced that her husband, Brutus, will not be able to defeat Antony and his army, Portia commits suicide in her Roman home. Romeo (Romeo and Juliet) Carrying the fast-acting poison he has purchased from an apothecary in Act 5, Scene 1, Romeo arrives at the tomb of Juliet. He believes her to be dead and drinks the fatal potion, exclaiming, "Thus with a kiss I die." (5.3.121). Timon (Timon of Athens) Wandering through the wilderness, Timon can no longer take the hypocrisy of mankind. He is found dead in his cave -- an apparent suicide. Murder Truth will come to light, murder cannot be hid long.

The Merchant of Venice (2.2.76-7) Desdemona (Othello) Unjustly accused of adultery, Desdemona is smothered to death by her jealous husband, Othello. Banquo (Macbeth) Out horseback riding with his son, Fleance, Banquo is cornered by three murderers hired by Macbeth. Banquo is slain but Fleance escapes. Lady Macduff (Macbeth) Lady Macduff is chased down and slaughtered offstage by Macbeth's henchmen. Her son is also killed by the murderers. Polonius (Hamlet) Acting as a spy for King Claudius, Polonius hides behind a curtain in Gertrude's chamber to listen to her conversation with Hamlet. Hearing a noise, Hamlet stabs through the curtain and kills the old eavesdropper. Cordelia (King Lear) A murderer hired by the evil Edmund hangs Cordelia in her cell. Emilia (Othello) Emilia is stabbed by her husband, Iago, when she reveals his role in the plot against Desdemona and Cassio.

Lavinia (Titus Andronicus) After being raped and mutilated by Tamora's two sons, Chiron and Demetrius, Lavinia is murdered by her own father, Titus, to spare her further shame. Gertrude (Hamlet) The Queen drinks from the poisoned chalice of wine intended for Hamlet. She dies exclaiming, "The drink, the drink! I am poison'd" (5.2.320). Claudius (Hamlet) Hamlet stabs Claudius with the poisoned rapier and then forces him to drink from the poisoned goblet. Titus Andronicus (Titus Andronicus) Saturninus kills Titus Andronicus after Titus reveals that he has baked Tamora's two sons in the meat pie that Saturninus and Tamora are eating. Tamora (Titus Andronicus) Tamora is stabbed to death with a butcher's knife by her arch nemesis, Titus Andronicus, at the gruesome dinner party arranged for the Emperor. Regan (King Lear) Regan is poisoned by her sister, Goneril, after she sets her sights on Goneril's lover, Edmund.

Assassination and Execution There is no sure foundation set on blood, No certain life achieved by other's death. King John (4.2.104-5) Hamlet's Father (Hamlet) Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, assassinated Hamlet's father by pouring the "juice of cursed hebenon" (1.5.63) in his ear while he slept in his orchard. Hebenon is a folk name for Henbane, the expressed juice of the fresh plant, Hyoscyamus niger. Other folk names for Henbane include Black Nightshade, Cassilago, Devil's Eye, and Jupiter's Bean. The death of Hamlet's father was inspired by a real event in 1538, when the Duke of Urbino was killed by a poisoned lotion rubbed into his ears by his barber. Duke of Clarence (Richard III) The pitiful Clarence is wrongfully arrested and jailed in the Tower by his brother, Richard. One night as he awakens from a terrifying nightmare, two henchmen sent by Richard burst into his cell. Clarence pleads for his life but one of the assassins stabs him.

To ensure Clarence is dead, the first murderer drowns him in a "malmsey-butt", a cask of sweet wine also containing the severed heads of two hogs. Richard II (Richard II) King Richard II, usurped by Bolingbroke, later Henry IV, is taken to the Tower of London. Contemplating remarks made by Bolingbroke, a nobleman named Exton mistakenly believes that Bolingbroke desires Richard dead, and he takes his henchmen to Richard's cell and kills him. Henry VI (3 Henry VI) The pious but ineffectual Henry VI is stabbed to death in his Tower of London cell. His assassin is the villainous Richard, Duke of Gloucester, soon to become Richard III. Coriolanus (Coriolanus) A group of merciless conspirators, spurred on by the leader of the Volscians, Aufidius, surround and stab Coriolanus in the play's final scene. Julius Caesar (Julius Caesar) Conspirators fearing a return to tyranny close in on Caesar and stab him to death.

Duncan (Macbeth) The noble King of Scotland is murdered in his sleep by Macbeth during his visit to Macbeth's castle, Dunsinane. Aaron (Titus Andronicus) Aaron, sentenced to death by the new emperor, Lucius, is to be buried up to his neck in the sand and starved to death. Killed in Combat My voice is in my sword. Macbeth (5.8.6-7) Macduff and Macbeth fight ferociously in hand-to-hand combat, before Macduff appears holding Macbeth's severed head. Mercutio (Romeo and Juliet) Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt, the cousin of his darling Juliet. Enraged that Romeo will not defend his honor, Mercutio challenges Tybalt to a duel. Romeo attempts to separate the two, but Tybalt fatally wounds Mercutio. As he dies, Mercutio cries, "A plague o' both your houses!/They have made worms' meat of me." (3.1.108-9). Tybalt (Romeo and Juliet) Romeo challenges Tybalt to a duel after Tybalt kills Romeo's cousin, Mercutio.

The fight is short and Romeo leaves Tybalt dead on the ground. Richard III (Richard III) The Earl of Richmond, later Henry VII, slays the outrageous villain on Bosworth field. Hamlet (Hamlet) Hamlet is stabbed with the end of Laertes' poisoned rapier. Laertes (Hamlet) During the final climatic fencing match, Laertes and Hamlet scuffle and their rapiers are accidentally exchanged. Hamlet grabs Laertes poisoned rapier and wounds Laertes. Laertes soon dies from the injury. Hotspur (1 Henry IV) Young Prince Hal duels and mortally wounds the honor-driven Hotspur on the battlefield. Hotspur manages to render a final speech, but dies before he can finish his last thoughts. Edmund (King Lear) The malicious villain is mortally wounded in a duel with Edgar. Paris (Romeo and Juliet) Romeo kills Paris in a duel before Juliet's tomb. Romeo promises the dying Paris that he will lay him beside Juliet. How to cite this article: Mabillard, Amanda. Violence in Shakespeare's Plays. Shakespeare Online. 19 Aug. 2008. < > .

_________ Shakespeare Hits the Big Time Shakespeare's Pathos "The fact is, that Shakespeare never, whether in comedy or tragedy, ends in the pathetic key, a point to which I shall return later. That there is an admixture of compassion in these great scenes is true; but the passions with which it is commingled are so agitating, the action so frantic, the consequences so prodigious, that pity is smothered up in dismay. At the very end, to be sure, the winds fall and cease, and the waves break back on themselves in a mighty subsidence; but it is the calm of a supreme exaltation." J. F. Pyre. Read on... Shakespeare - Who killed Duncan Shakespeare - Who killed Duncan Last Edited: 23rd March, 2015 This essay has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work written by our professional essay writers. Macbeth is now Thane of Glamis has he emerges from a bloody battle as a brave and fearless warrior. He is admired by many people as a great man. However, this proves not to be the case. Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's bloodiest tragedies.

This play is a about control, aspiration, greed and eventually murder. These been the traits of Macbeth himself who ultimately wore the blood of king Duncan on his hands that fateful night, however there were many contributory factors that was to influence his final decision. The play Macbeth is set in damp and dreary Scotland, where King Duncan is the ultimate ruler. At the start of the play the Celts are in battle with the Norwegians. We are first introduced to Macbeth as a military hero at his highest peak as he along with Banquo is riding across the weather torn heath. Stumbling upon three witches Macbeth is told a prophecy in which he will eventually become Thane of Cawdor, and King of Scotland. Macbeth welcomes the idea of greatness and it is this which triggers the spiral of events in the story.

However, the witches are simply responsible for the mere introduction of these ideas, merely, subconsciously implanting the thought that Macbeth maybe able to control his own destiny by saying "All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Cawdor" and "All hail Macbeth that shalt be king there after" as a worship to Macbeth the witches plant a seed which continues to grow, eventually Causing Duncan's death and eventually Macbeth's own destruction. In the Elizabethan era witches were generally accepted as real. This period was very superstitious, fearing the power of witches the most. This stemmed from the supposed "satanic beliefs of witches and their partnership with the Devil". Believing in the power of the super natural and religion, an Elizabethan audience would have believed the witches' prophecies were going to become reality. This would in turn make them follow the gripping plot for the overall outcome of the play. We are then introduced to the character of Lady Macbeth in act one scene five. When she is reading a letter from Macbeth, Lady Macbeth's instant response to this, is the thought of killing King Duncan.

"Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits into thine ear" this shows she is anxious for Macbeth to return so she can talk to him about the murder. However, she is worried that Macbeth's heart "is too full o' th' milk of human kindness". She is aware that her spouse is "not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it". At this instant lady Macbeth is relishing the thought of eventually becoming Queen, with the prowess and greatness that this would bring. Though, she is clearly concerned that the nature of Macbeth is too kind. Nevertheless with her awareness of this weakness with the addition of her powers of persuasion, her wavered confidence in Macbeth is soon reinstated. She knows that her manipulation will soon bring success. Lady Macbeth's determination to be queen is quite evident as makes reference to "the raven" who "himself is hoarse" and "croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan".

It is here that the audience would realise she is planning murder King Duncan, she calls upon evil spirits to “unsex me here” abandoning all of her femininity, her “direst cruelty” is obvious when opposing her nature asking for it to “take my milk for gall.” Lady Macbeth appears to be brutal and vicious and thinks nothing of killing King Duncan, having no sense of what is right and wrong. Lady Macbeth believes that it is entirely moral to commit the act of murder, stating "Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem'st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem", she impresses upon Macbeth that to not go through with the deed would be horrible to himself, and that he would be a coward in is own eyes. Here we see her manipulative techniques, by making Macbeth look weak, by questioning his manhood she hopes that Macbeth will respond by doing the opposite in order to maintain his strength in her eyes, and psychologically, in his own. In doing this her success is prevalent as Macbeth carries out her ruthless plan, regardless of his own conscience.

After the murderous event, she, unlike Macbeth, is very calm and unmoved she asked Macbeth to return to the murder scene. However, his response "ill go no more" caused her to act alone. Lady Macbeth takes everything in her stride, raising well above any fear or doubt, and coldly states " give me the daggers: the sleeping and the dead are but as pictures: ‘tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil" she then visits the murder scene returning the dagger to the King's room and cleverly smears the grooms with blood of Duncan. This shows her strength and composure with no element of weakness. On Lady Macbeths return from the murder scene Macbeth is anxious and edgy. This is shown by Macbeth's reaction to the knocking "Whence is that knocking. How isn't with me, when every noise appals me?" On reflection of the killing of King Duncan Macbeth hallucinates and goes temporarily insane "Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more!

Macbeth does murder sleep", the innocent sleep, sleep that knits up the ravelled sleave of care, the death of each days life, sore labours bath balm of hurt minds, great Natures second course, chief nourisher in life feast". This shows the importance of sleep, and Macbeth's extreme lack of it leading up too and subsequent to the murder of King Duncan. Unlike Macbeth, Lady Macbeth maintains her composure the day after the murder. However she is concerned that Macbeth's weakness will soon prevail. We witness her anxiety when she urges her husband to be light hearted and merry. Lady Macbeth's direct thoughts may make her appear utterly cold and ruthless, but is this really so? Lady Macbeth clearly takes steps in order to clear her conscience of the evil spirits to "stop up th' access and passage to remorse" in order to be relentless. I believe this was in order for her conscience to allow her to act in such an unremorseful way. The phenomenal strength of Lady Macbeth is invigorated for the occasion and her heartless abilities are proved through her particular attention to detail regarding the murder.

But still, her moral conscience triumphed as lady Macbeth eventually revealed this when she comments "Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done't" In conclusion after carefully considering the mitigating factors leading up to the tragic event Lady Macbeth played a large part in the precipitated murder of King Duncan. However, Ultimately It was Macbeth who was responsible for his death after sercoming to her manipulation by committing the eventual act. Unfortunately Macbeth's downfall was caused by his greed after allowing his ambition to control his destiny. I strongly believe the witches can not be blamed for Macbeth's murderous behaviour themselves. The witches simply anticipated rather than initiated Macbeth's actions. I am of the belief that with the influence of lady Macbeth in addition to his clear personal ambition Macbeth would have, in time, still murdered King Duncan. Macbeth was himself a callus individual who wouldn't let anyone or anything stand his way. It is in the end, each individual's decision to fall for the temptation, or to be strong enough to resist their captivation.

SparkNotes: Macbeth: Character List Character List Plot Overview Analysis of Major Characters Macbeth - Macbeth is a Scottish general and the thane of Glamis who is led to wicked thoughts by the prophecies of the three witches, especially after their prophecy that he will be made thane of Cawdor comes true. Macbeth is a brave soldier and a powerful man, but he is not a virtuous one. He is easily tempted into murder to fulfill his ambitions to the throne, and once he commits his first crime and is crowned King of Scotland, he embarks on further atrocities with increasing ease. Ultimately, Macbeth proves himself better suited to the battlefield than to political intrigue, because he lacks the skills necessary to rule without being a tyrant. His response to every problem is violence and murder. Unlike Shakespeare’s great villains, such as Iago in Othello and Richard III in Richard III, Macbeth is never comfortable in his role as a criminal. He is unable to bear the psychological consequences of his atrocities. Read an in-depth analysis of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth - Macbeth’s wife, a deeply ambitious woman who lusts for power and position.

Early in the play she seems to be the stronger and more ruthless of the two, as she urges her husband to kill Duncan and seize the crown. After the bloodshed begins, however, Lady Macbeth falls victim to guilt and madness to an even greater degree than her husband. Her conscience affects her to such an extent that she eventually commits suicide. Interestingly, she and Macbeth are presented as being deeply in love, and many of Lady Macbeth’s speeches imply that her influence over her husband is primarily sexual. Their joint alienation from the world, occasioned by their partnership in crime, seems to strengthen the attachment that they feel to each another. Read an in-depth analysis of Lady Macbeth. The Three Witches - Three “black and midnight hags” who plot mischief against Macbeth using charms, spells, and prophecies. Their predictions prompt him to murder Duncan, to order the deaths of Banquo and his son, and to blindly believe in his own immortality. The play leaves the witches’ true identity unclear—aside from the fact that they are servants of Hecate, we know little about their place in the cosmos. In some ways they resemble the mythological Fates, who impersonally weave the threads of human destiny.

They clearly take a perverse delight in using their knowledge of the future to toy with and destroy human beings. Read an in-depth analysis of The Three Witches. Banquo - The brave, noble general whose children, according to the witches’ prophecy, will inherit the Scottish throne. Like Macbeth, Banquo thinks ambitious thoughts, but he does not translate those thoughts into action. In a sense, Banquo’s character stands as a rebuke to Macbeth, since he represents the path Macbeth chose not to take: a path in which ambition need not lead to betrayal and murder. Appropriately, then, it is Banquo’s ghost—and not Duncan’s—that haunts Macbeth. In addition to embodying Macbeth’s guilt for killing Banquo, the ghost also reminds Macbeth that he did not emulate Banquo’s reaction to the witches’ prophecy. King Duncan - The good King of Scotland whom Macbeth, in his ambition for the crown, murders. Duncan is the model of a virtuous, benevolent, and farsighted ruler. His death symbolizes the destruction of an order in Scotland that can be restored only when Duncan’s line, in the person of Malcolm, once more occupies the throne.

Macduff - A Scottish nobleman hostile to Macbeth’s kingship from the start. He eventually becomes a leader of the crusade to unseat Macbeth. The crusade’s mission is to place the rightful king, Malcolm, on the throne, but Macduff also desires vengeance for Macbeth’s murder of Macduff’s wife and young son. Malcolm - The son of Duncan, whose restoration to the throne signals Scotland’s return to order following Macbeth’s reign of terror. Malcolm becomes a serious challenge to Macbeth with Macduff’s aid (and the support of England). Prior to this, he appears weak and uncertain of his own power, as when he and Donalbain flee Scotland after their father’s murder. Hecate - The goddess of witchcraft, who helps the three witches work their mischief on Macbeth. Fleance - Banquo’s son, who survives Macbeth’s attempt to murder him. At the end of the play, Fleance’s whereabouts are unknown. Presumably, he may come to rule Scotland, fulfilling the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s sons will sit on the Scottish throne. Lennox - A Scottish nobleman. Ross - A Scottish nobleman.

The Murderers - A group of ruffians conscripted by Macbeth to murder Banquo, Fleance (whom they fail to kill), and Macduff’s wife and children. Porter - The drunken doorman of Macbeth’s castle. Lady Macduff - Macduff’s wife. The scene in her castle provides our only glimpse of a domestic realm other than that of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. She and her home serve as contrasts to Lady Macbeth and the hellish world of Inverness. Donalbain - Duncan’s son and Malcolm’s younger brother. King Duncan in Macbeth: Character Analysis, Murder & Quotes - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com King Duncan in Macbeth: Character Analysis, Murder & Quotes Watch short & fun videos Start Your Free Trial Today An error occurred trying to load this video. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. You must create an account to continue watching Register for a free trial Are you a student or a teacher? I am a student Start Your Free Trial To Continue Watching As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over lessons in math, English, science, history, and more.

Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed. Coming up next: Character of Brutus in Julius Caesar: Traits & Analysis You're on a roll. Keep up the good work! Your next lesson will play in 10 seconds 0:02 King Duncan as a Leader 0:42 Character Analysis Add to Add to Add to Want to watch this again later? Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. Custom Courses are courses that you create from Study.com lessons. Use them just like other courses to track progress, access quizzes and exams, and share content. Teachers Organize and share selected lessons with your class. Make planning easier by creating your own custom course. Students Create a new course from any lesson page or your dashboard. From any lesson page: Click "Add to" located below the video player and follow the prompts to name your course and save your lesson. From your dashboard: Click on the "Custom Courses" tab, then click "Create course". Next, go to any lesson page and begin adding lessons. Edit your Custom Course directly from your dashboard. Personalize: Name your Custom Course and add an optional description or learning objective.

Organize: Create chapters to group lesson within your course. Remove and reorder chapters and lessons at any time. Share your Custom Course or assign lessons and chapters. Teacher Edition: Share or assign lessons and chapters by clicking the "Teacher" tab on the lesson or chapter page you want to assign. Students' quiz scores and video views will be trackable in your "Teacher" tab. Premium Edition: You can share your Custom Course by copying and pasting the course URL. Only Study.com members will be able to access the entire course. Create an account to start this course today Try it free for 5 days! Lesson Transcript Instructor: Shamekia Thomas Shamekia has taught English at the secondary level and has her doctoral degree in clinical psychology. Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare's most popular tragedies. It tells the story of the murder of King Duncan of Scotland by a general named Macbeth. Learn more about King Duncan and test your knowledge with a quiz in this lesson. King Duncan as a Leader Leadership is one of the most important qualities of a good king. Good leaders set themselves apart from others by being confident in their abilities and committed to their causes. Kings are thought to be strong and noble, capable of protecting an entire country of people.

If a king is too kind and gentle, he might lose the respect of the people he is supposed to protect. Some might even envy his power and try to take it away. King Duncan, from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, is a king who had the respect of the people of his country, but was murdered by a man who coveted his position as king. Character Analysis King Duncan is described as a kind and generous man who is respected by many of the people in Scotland. King Duncan puts the needs of his country above his own needs and tries to provide unity in the kingdom. After Macbeth is told by three witches that he would one day be king, his wife convinces him to murder King Duncan. × Macbeth: The Murder of King Duncan - YouTube Macbeth: The Murder of King Duncan Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Mar 11, 2013 The really low-budget short film version of what really went on at Macbeth's castle the night King Duncan died.

Category Who Killed King Duncan in William Shakespeare's Macbeth Essay -- Papers Who Killed King Duncan in William Shakespeare's Macbeth Essay No Works Cited Length: 600 words (1.7 double-spaced pages) Rating: Orange Who Killed King Duncan in William Shakespeare's Macbeth Who was too blame for the Murder of King Duncan? There are four major factors in the murder Lady Macbeth, Fate, the Witches and Macbeth himself. Macbeth himself committed the murder of Duncan so of course has some of the blame for the murder. His ambition and his thrust also made him do the crime. For Macbeth when the bait was dangled in front of him he could not resist taking a bite for when he knew that he had been made Thane of Cawdor and one prophecy had come true he wanted the next prophecy to also be true. At the point Macbeth is told he will be Thane of Cawdor by the witches there is dramatic irony because the audience already know Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and he doesn't. When Macbeth wanted to back out his wife curses him so he goes through with it. Macbeth is to blame for Duncan's murder but not completely.

After Duncan's murder his sons flee and Macbeth is declared king, Macbeth turns untrustworthy and knowing that Banquo's kindred will someday be king Macbeth kills him, but Banquo's son Fleance lives and gets away. Macbeth then proceeds to kill the assassins. That night, Macbeth begins his first step in his spiral towards madness. His murderous treachery continues until he reaches the castle of Macduff. Macbeth and his soldiers butcher Macduff's wife and children. So sealing Macbeth's fate. Because of the time the play was written, maybe Macbeth represents a small part in King James Ist, James's wariness his distrusting manner, for it is common knowledge that after (and before) The Gunpowder Plot James always wore full armor under his clothes. The ... ... represents a once mighty drug baron now gone completely to seed. In another version (Roman Polanski) he is depicted as an old king and in the Judi Dench version he is shown as a God worshipping old man who can barely walk by himself.

Duncan also leaves himself open to attack by being to trusting, this is shown at the start of the play when Duncan is looking over the body of the Thane of Cawdor and he says that he trusted Cawdor. So Duncan doesn't really help himself. But nobody can beat fate, Macbeth is slain by the witches deception, their pure evil and his own thirst for blood. Macbeth's wife is killed by her ambition, but how did these two people meet? Fate. Macbeth's secret desire and savageness married with his wife's ambition and drive brought these two to a deserved, fateful death.

Click the button above to view the complete essay, speech, term paper, or research paper Click the button above to view the complete essay, speech, term paper, or research paper King Duncan's Murder in William Shakespeare's Macbeth :: Papers King Duncan's Murder in William Shakespeare's Macbeth Length: 671 words (1.9 double-spaced pages) Rating: Excellent King Duncan's Murder in William Shakespeare's Macbeth King Duncan's murder is a pivotal moment in the play as up until this point Macbeth has been able to choose what would happen to him whether he would do the deed or not and after he has murdered Duncan there is no going back. Macbeth takes the choice to murder Duncan of his own free will and so most of the blame must be laid on him. This does not mean that some other people did not influence Macbeth to do the deed. William Shakespeare wrote this play in 1606 at this time James I (James IV of Scotland) just after the death of Queen Elizabeth. The king was interested in Scotland and witchcraft, which explains the themes of the play. The themes are all about treachery witchcraft and death.

The story tells of a man who is driven to murder by the combination of a prophecy and his lust for power. In the end the guilt of what they have done drives both Macbeth and his wife insane. He has condemned himself to hell by killing a king. The divine right of kings is that God puts the King into his position that Macbeth has slain a servant of God and has therefore damned himself and his wife to a life of torment. For the purpose of this essay I am going to see how Lady Macbeth and the witches influenced Macbeth. The witches played a fairly big part in influencing Macbeth as before he saw them he would never have considered killing the King. The witches put the idea into his head and after that greed took over. The witches didn't actually give him the idea but they hinted at it ''All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!'' ''All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!'' ''All hail Macbeth!

That shalt be king hereafter.'' This was could be taken as more than a hint as they are telling him out right he his to be king but they do not mention him actually How to Cite this Page MLA Citation: When Macbeth hears this he at first does not believe it but then the first prophecy comes true and he becomes Thane of Cawdor and his ambition begins to take over. The idea of killing Duncan doesn't really seem like a realistic idea to him until he talks to his wife and she has got the idea into her head ==================================================================== "Macbeth: My dearest love, Duncan comes here tonight. ===================================================== Lady Macbeth: And whence goes he? ================================= Macbeth: To-morrow, as he purposes.

Lady Macbeth: O, never shall sun that morrow see!" They come up with a plan and Lady Macbeth is the person to drug the guards and do all of the dirty work =================================================================== "The doors are open; and the surfeited grooms ============================================= Do mock their charge with snores: I have drugged their ====================================================== Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life ========================================= And live a coward in thine own esteem, ====================================== Letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would', Like the poor cat I'th'adage?'' She also says that ''Had he not resembled my father as he slept I had done't'' meaning that Macbeth is a coward if he would not do it and she would have done. Lady Macbeth had a really big part in persuading Macbeth to kill Duncan, as without her he would never have done the deed. I think that although Lady Macbeth and the Witches had a really big influence on the death of Duncan. It is Macbeth and Macbeth alone who can be held mostly responsible as he made the choice of his own free will and at any point up to the murder of Duncan he could have stopped and said no.

The witches played a fairly big part as Macbeth would never have even thought about killing the king before they told him then they put the idea into his head and it stuck there. Lady Macbeth played a huge part of getting Macbeth to kill Duncan as she set everything up and all that had to happen was for Macbeth to pick up the dagger and stab Duncan and she also had to put a lot of effort into persuading him to do it. The real Duncan and Macbeth - Kings of Scotland By Ben Johnson | Comments Duncan and MacBeth - famous names thanks to Shakespeare and the Scottish Play, 'Macbeth'. But how historically accurate is Shakespeare's story, if at all? For centuries, the clans had been waging war on each other. Viking warriors had been raiding the coasts of Scotland. King Malcolm of Scotia, king of the Scots and Picts, routed the Angles of Lothian in the Battle of Carham in 1018 and became the most powerful man in Scotland. When King Owen of the Britons of Strathclyde died later that year without issue, Duncan (Malcolm's grandson) became the rightful heir through marriage.

Malcolm was therefore able to unite the Four Kingdoms of Scotland under one throne. Scotland in the early 11th century had finally become a single nation. Duncan - King of Scotland 1034 - 40 Duncan became King of Scotland upon the death of Malcolm in 1034. He was a much weaker character than Malcolm and a terrible leader. He led a disastrous campaign into Northumbria and was forced to retreat ignominiously back to Scotland. His cousin MacBeth, chief of the northern Scots, also had a claim to the throne through his mother. MacBeth formed an alliance with his cousin the Earl of Orkney, and they defeated and killed Duncan near Elgin in 1040. MacBeth - King of Scotland 1040 - 57 Mac Bethad mac Findláich or MacBeth as he is known in English, the Mormaer of Moray, claimed the throne on his own behalf and that of his wife Grauch, and after the death of Duncan made himself king in his place. Respected for his strong leadership qualities, MacBeth was a wise king who ruled successfully for 17 years.

He lived in a fortified castle at Dunsinane north of Perth. His rule was secure enough for him to go on a pilgrimage to Rome in 1050. However the peace was not to last: Duncan's son Malcolm had fled to Northumbria after the defeat of his father and had never given up his claim to the throne. In 1054 with the support of Earl Siward, he led an army against MacBeth, defeating him at the battle of Dunsinnan. MacBeth remained king, restoring Malcolm's lands to him. But in 1057 at Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire on 15th August, MacBeth was finally defeated and killed and Malcolm became King. Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' Shakespeare's 'Macbeth', written nearly 400 years ago, is widely accepted as one of his great tragedies and rated alongside 'Hamlet', 'King Lear' and 'Julius Caesar'. But how historically correct is it? It is generally accepted that Shakespeare wrote the play sometime between 1604 and 1606, when there was a new king on the throne, King James I and VI of Scotland .

Shakespeare would have gained approval for a Scottish play from the new King. Especially one with witches in it, for it was well known that the King was interested in witches, witchcraft and the supernatural (in 1597 James had written a book on spirits and witchcraft called 'Daemononlogie'). Shakespeare appears to deliberately mix fact and fiction in the play. Apparently using Holinshed's 'Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland' (1587) as his source, Shakespeare sets the battle between Duncan and MacBeth in 1040 at Birnam Hill in Perthshire, rather than near Elgin where it actually took place. In the play MacBeth dies at Dunsinane whereas in reality it was at Lumphanan where he was defeated and killed in 1057. Shakespeare's play takes place over a year whereas in reality, MacBeth ruled for 17 years. Charles Kean and his wife as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, in costumes aiming to be historically accurate (1858) As for the personalities of the two main characters, Duncan and MacBeth, again Shakespeare's portrayal is not historically correct.

In the play Duncan is portrayed as a strong, wise and elderly king whereas in reality he was a young, weak and ineffective ruler. Shakespeare's Macbeth has virtually no legitimate claim to the throne whereas the real MacBeth had a respectable claim through his mother's side - indeed both MacBeth and his wife were descended from Kenneth MacAlpin. Shakespeare also gives MacBeth the title 'Thane of Glamis' but in fact Glamis was not known as a thanage in the 11th century. In Shakespeare's play, MacBeth's friend Banquo is shown as a noble and loyal man, resisting evil, a contrast to the character of Macbeth. In Holinshed's 'Chronicles' however, Banquo is shown as exactly the opposite: he is an accomplice in MacBeth's murder of Duncan. The new king, James I and VI of Scotland, claimed ancestry from Banquo through the Stewart line of kings. To have shown Banquo as a murderer of kings would not have pleased James! Indeed there is debate as to whether or not Banquo actually existed at all in history. All in all, the confusing mix of fact and fiction which runs through the play is bewildering.

However it has to be asked - who, outside of Scotland, would have heard of these two Scottish kings had it not been for Shakespeare and the 'Scottish Play'?

Question: In a Shakespeare play, who murders 'King Duncan'?
Answer: Macbeth